1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to goggles for eye protection which are particularly adapted for, but not limited to, swimming.
2. Prior Art
Many varieties of swim goggles have been available to accommodate the variations between wearer's faces. Swim goggles should provide a good seal against water penetration, as well as being comfortable for extended wear. It is known to provide a resilient seal or gasket made from an expanded elastomer or rubber compound which extends from the rigid frame of the goggles to contact the face. The seal is adapted to engage recesses and bulges of the face, so as to provide a water-tight but comfortable fit. If the seal is excessively soft, it usually deteriorates quickly in the chlorinated water commonly used in swimming pools. Soft seal gaskets can deform under a relatively low force which seems to be necessary for comfort when fitted directly against the face, and can deform in a direction normal to the face to accommodate curvature of the face. However, excessively soft seals which project too far from a rigid base can deform excessively in a direction parallel to the face i.e., fold over, which can reduce effectiveness of the seal and permit leakage.
Harder types of seals require a greater force to deform them to fit the face, and correspondingly can become uncomfortable after a short time. The more rigid seals tend to resist deterioration better than the softer seals, and do not deform excessively but, in general, cannot accommodate such a wide variety of curvatures of the face. In general, goggles for long distance training swimming are softer for greater comfort than goggles used for racing. Racing goggles must be sufficiently stiff to resist the shock forces of a racing dive, and thus comfort is often sacrificed because such goggles are usually worn for shorter periods.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,850,538 (Dickson) and 1,741,427 (Meyrowitz) disclose goggles having seals of the resilient cushion type, but these goggles do not appear to be suitable for swimming. The seals of these goggles can be easily replaced when worn, but the structure for attaching the seals to the frame of the goggles is such that the goggle seals can accidentally be dislodged from the goggles, which could cause leakage, become uncomfortable and even distort vision through the goggles. U.S. Pat. No. 2,393,533 (Heinz) discloses a resilient seal for swimming goggles which is a hollow tube extending around the rim of the eye pieces. The tube is formed from a relatively stiff elastomer compound, but its cross-section and thin walls permits it to deform to accommodate variations in the face.
To the inventor's knowledge, none of the prior art goggles provide a seal which combines the comfort of the resilient, soft, low density elastomeric cushion foam with the stiffness and accuracy of location arising from use of the stiffer, higher density elastomeric materials. To the inventor's knowledge, none of the prior art goggles provides a seal which can accommodate the wide variability of the human face, be comfortable, resist the shock loads of a racing dive, and water resistant and also permit easy replacement of a worn soft seal.